Maps are often beautiful illustrations of our history, the human-environmental interaction, and natural features of our state and its communities. Maps record settlement patterns, political boundaries, transportation routes, and land ownership. Maps contain invaluable information for historians, genealogists, and citizens.

The resources in this collection are historical maps of Indiana, its counties and cities, from the collections at Indiana University. Efforts were made to represent various areas of our state, but selection was based on G. K. Hall and Co.'s Checklist of Printed Maps of the Middle West to 1900 Volume 3 covering the state of Indiana. The Checklist was a cooperative project involving several institutions. Its purpose was to identify and catalog cartographic materials published prior to 1900. The collection attempts to not duplicate other digital projects, such as the Library of Congress's American Memory Project or the David Rumsey Map Collection projects. Additional maps will be added to the collection as we develop partnerships with libraries around the state.

The collection was digitized by IUPUI University Library according to the standards recommended by the Indiana Digital Library Summit, with funds provided through the Indiana State Library's LSTA mini-grant program for development of the Indiana Digital Library. Most of the maps were made available for digitization from Map Collections at Indiana University Bloomington.

The Indiana State Library, which serves as the meeting grounds for the statewide digital library project in
Indiana, has within its vast holdings strong collections of materials relating to both Indiana history and
culture. Its vision involves providing access to information and services for Indiana's government, libraries,
and residents. Through the Library Fund of the Indianapolis Foundation, a grant has provided IUPUI University
Library the ability to collaborate with the Indiana State Library and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public
Library to digitize a collection of historically significant materials that currently have been taken out of
circulation.

The Indianapolis Public Library is comprised of 22 individual branches that offer materials, programs, and services in support of lifelong learning, recreational, and economic interests of all Marion County citizens. Their collections include some very interesting resources representing Indiana's history, including books, local newspapers, and dense city directories. Through the Library Fund of the Indianapolis Foundation, a grant has provided IUPUI University the ability to collaborate with the Indiana State Library and the Indianapolis Public Library to digitize a collection of historically significant materials that currently have been taken out of circulation.